Published: October 9, 2021 12:12 pm
Last Updated: October 9, 2021 12:38 pm
Liverpool suffer centre-back crisis
The 2020-21 season for Liverpool will be remembered by most as a time when Jordan Henderson partnered fellow midfielder Fabinho at the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s defence.
Season-ending injuries to both Joe Gomez and Virgil Van Dijk, as well as a significant injury to Joel Matip, left the Reds scrambling for defenders throughout the season. January eased the burden from a personnel standpoint, with Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies both joining the club, but the former flattered to deceive and the latter didn’t even get the chance to do that.
Clearly, the Liverpool hierarchy have vowed to never let the same thing happen again, adding Ibrahim Konate to the squad ahead of the summer transfer window. However, they may not be about to stop there.
BREAKING: Liverpool confirm they have reached an agreement to sign RB Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konaté in a deal worth £36m ✍️
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 28, 2021
Another centre-back targetted?
Now, according to the Daily Mail, Jurgen Klopp’s side are in the hunt for another defender. While this may not make sense of the surface, the injury-prone nature of Matip, combined with the fact that Van Dijk has just turned 30, means that in a few seasons the Merseyside club will be searching for a new rock at the heart of their defence, who would, in turn, need time to bed in.
As per the Mail, that man could be Olympiacos defender Pape Abou Cisse, with the 26-year-old impressing in both the Greek League and the Europa League at present.
Liverpool targeting move for Olympiacos centre-back Pape Abou Cisse https://t.co/ZPcDFsZLFx
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) October 8, 2021
While Arsenal are thought to be tracking the Senegalese international, who plays alongside former Gunner Sokratis at his club, it is Liverpool that have allegedly been “showing the most intent so far” in chasing his signature.
With the Africa Cup of Nations happening this year, it seems unlikely that a January move would be forthcoming, but could Cisse be one for the summer?
Read more:
Joel Matip reveals how well he sees Liverpool doing this season
Revealed: How much it will cost for Newcastle United to sack Steve Bruce
This article was edited by
Josh Barker.
Liverpool betting odds, next game:
Watford vs Liverpool odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
Liverpool’s latest videos
Jordan Henderson & Trent Alexander-Arnold discuss Black History Month
As part of #BlackHistoryMonth, Trent Alexander-Arnold & Jordan Henderson sat down to talk about…
2021-10-09T08:00:19Z
LFC Women: ‘No blasties!’ | Get to know the personalities behind the players
Join us for a special look at the Liverpool FC Women’s show, a monthly…
2021-10-07T16:00:13Z
Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Chelsea FC | 7 | 12 | 16 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 7 | 11 | 15 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 7 | 11 | 14 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 7 | 5 | 14 |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 7 | 3 | 14 |
| 7 | Brentford FC | 7 | 4 | 12 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 | -4 | 12 |
| 9 | West Ham United | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 7 | 1 | 10 |
| 11 | Arsenal FC | 7 | -5 | 10 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 7 | -1 | 9 |
| 13 | Leicester City | 7 | -3 | 8 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 15 | Watford FC | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 7 | -7 | 6 |
| 17 | Southampton FC | 7 | -5 | 4 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 7 | -6 | 3 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 7 | -8 | 3 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 7 | -14 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 4 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 4 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 4 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 3 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Hwang, Hee-chan | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 2 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 4 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 4 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Veltman, Joel | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 3 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Djenepo, Moussa | Southampton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 0 | 1 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 2 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 1 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 4 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Azpilicueta, Cesar | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| King, Joshua | Watford FC | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 2 |
